Artists' Showcase Highlights Talent

Highland Beach Promotes Culture

The Art in Public Places showcase of Highland Beach artists at the new library marks the Cultural Board's immersion into the artistic life of the seaside community.

After the exhibit closes April 12, the board plans to use part of the old library for gallery space and art classes.

The Town Hall space vacated by the library when it moved to a larger building in mid-February will be divided between the Police Department and the Cultural Board, Town Manager Dale Sugerman said. About half of the area where the stacks were located will be made available for cultural activities, although the cost and time frame have not yet been determined, Sugerman said. The Town Commission agreed at its meeting earlier this month to allocate the space to the Cultural Board.

"There's a cultural evolution going on, and we need to be part of it," said Cultural Board Chairwoman Emily Firtell, who has a sculpture and an acrylic-and-mosaic piece in the show.

The board was formed after many residents and leaders said it is time to concentrate on encouraging culture and a sense of community. The board's first event was "Light Up the Holidays" in December, which several hundred residents attended.

Once word got out that an artists' showcase was planned, many calls came in and some had to be turned away. The board accepted one or more works from 20 artists.

"We knew there was a lot of creativity in town, and we're really impressed with the quality of the work," Firtell said.

Some in the show are longtime artists such as Syril Morss, who studied at New York's Museum of Modern Art and has done painting, stone sculpture, lithographs and recently added pastels to her portfolio. She taught stone carving for more than 20 years and had up to 60 students a week in her Delray Beach studio. She works nearly every day in her Boca Raton studio.

Morss, who was recently appointed to the Cultural Board, has two pastel paintings in the show: Two Vases, inspired by the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, and Window Shopping in Martha's Vineyard.

Morss has been a Highland Beach resident for 29 years and has exhibited in galleries in New York, New Jersey and Delray Beach. Her works are in private collections around the world, from California to Nairobi, Kenya.

"There's always been a big art scene in Florida, but I don't think we had a good space in Highland Beach. Now we have this beautiful space," Morss said of the exhibit in the town's new library, which backs up to the Intracoastal Waterway.

Library Director Mari Suarez has a tradition of exhibiting art, including paintings, photographs and etchings. But she ran out of space in the former 1,200-square-foot library inside Town Hall, as bookshelves kept being added to house the 25,000 books and audiovisual materials.

The new 10,000-square foot library, with its community room, makes way for a variety of cultural activity.

"I'm hoping the Cultural Board will offer lessons," said Riia Futernick, who started painting three years ago. "I live in a small apartment. Space is an issue. So are cost and convenience. I could probably benefit from some formal training. And I don't think I'm alone in being at an advanced age and just starting to paint."

Rhonda J. Miller can be reached at rjmiller@sun-sentinel.com or 561-243-6605.